There is something so rewarding about reading accomplished historical fiction. I remember how William Martin actually changed the way I felt about the Cape after reading his epic Cape Cod. That novel is still in print after 20 years and, I suspect, always will be as long as we still have sand and water around here. Sally Gunning is another Cape Cod writer who has made her mark in historical fiction that deepened our roots. And now along comes Eastham’s Joshua Blair Delaney with his engrossing first novel, Pieces of Eight, about Colonial Cape Cod.

It’s a little early to place him in that rarefied air of the aforementioned, but if this first novel is an example (it is designated “Book One of the Cape Cod Legends Series”), readers will be kept turning pages for some time to come.

Delaney earned a Masters in History from Brown University, so he’s not shy about rooting around in various centuries. But that’s the easy part and not what instills passion in the past. It’s all in the writing, and this is where Delaney really delivers.

The time covered in the novel is 1715 to 1717. Maria Hallett is a village girl unafraid to go against the grain, and Sam Bellamy an unwelcomed British sailor who has sauntered into town much to the consternation of the villagers of Eastham. This is during a time when much of life was directed by the Bible – or at least by those who interpreted it. It was a difficult, hardscrabble life for most, but especially for the women who were clearly the second-class citizens of any early village. When Hallett and Bellamy not only form a bond, but also rustle a few bushes, it is far too much for the sanctimonious villagers of Eastham to handle. Hallett runs away and Bellamy sets out to discover his fortune.

Delaney’s depiction of the day-to-day struggles ring strikingly true, particularly the precarious relationship with Native Americans. He uses a character named John Julian to portray the Native American’s tenuous nature with the white settlers.

The novel took Delaney 10 years to write and weighs in at a hefty 550 pages, so if you’re looking for a quick summer read, this doorstopper might not be the best choice. But in terms of substance and historical accuracy, it’s as good a book as anything I’ve read all summer. This allows the reader to trust in Delaney’s necessary speculations. What separates Pieces of Eight from novels of its ilk is that it tells many different stories. It is a romance, a depiction of the early life on Cape Cod, a reminder of the despotic nature of life as a villager, and a downright rollicking adventure. Here’s a sample of Delaney’s style:

. . .the sea was a bit like the Lord Himself to the folks of Eastham. With one sweep of waves, it could cruelly take away a ship full of local sons, and with the next, deliver a fully laden hold of wares, like a gift left on the doorstep. For most men of Eastham, understanding the rationale of the ocean was as taxing as trying to fathom the depths of God’s mind.

Delaney weaves his story with three sections, one devoted to Maria Hallett; the next to Sam Bellamy; and another to John Julian. There are other sections that unite the overall tale of Pieces of Eight. Also of importance to the reader is the historical note at the end of the book (what’s a few more pages of historical notes to read after 500 pages of narrative?). It is an interesting insight into Delaney’s approach as both writer and researcher, especially the dilemma faced by all historical fiction writers – what to leave in, what to take out, and what to twist slightly in favor of the overall story.

Although much has been written about the relationship between Hallett and Bellamy, a great deal more is borne from speculation. The discovery, in 1984, of the wreck of the Whydah off Wellfleet brought Bellamy and Hallett into modern view and has become its own cottage industry. To peek into the minds, especially those of the star-crossed lovers, in such a character-rich novel as Delaney’s is a difficult task at best, yet the author pulls it off with aplomb.

Pieces of Eight should find its way onto the bookshelves of all those who want to add to their knowledge of Cape Cod. It should also finds its way to those who simply like to hunker down and read a great story.